SUMR

In this course, we will read the Sumerian mythological narrative known by its modern title “Dumuzi’s Dream.” Judging by the numerous manuscripts preserved from the Old Babylonian period, it was a popular text in scribal education. We will practice reading from copies, photos, and original cuneiform tablets, as five manuscripts are housed at the ISAC Museum and available for hands-on study. Based on close engagement with the individual manuscripts, we will discuss the principles of textual criticism and how to prepare an eclectic text, as well as a text edition. Besides philological issues, we will also address broader questions during classroom discussions, such as: Can we use such literary texts to reconstruct Sumerian mythology? How does this text relate to other literary compositions revolving around the divine couple Innana and Dumuzi, and how does it relate to non-literary text corpora? In how far can we determine its function, both within scribal education and beyond? Can we actually apply the term ‘literature’ to the Sumerian textual legacy?

Elementary Sumerian II

In this course, we will read a selection of Sumerian texts that provide insights into the image of the king. We will start with royal inscriptions, move on to the so-called royal correspondence of the Kings of Ur, and finish with excerpts from the self-praise poem of king Sulgi commonly referred to as ‘Sulgi B’. Apart from tackling philological issues and practicing to read cuneiform from copies and photos, we will also address broader questions during classroom discussions, such as: Can we use royal inscriptions, correspondence, and hymns as historical sources? Can we bridge the gap between the reign of historical Ur III kings and their feats as commemorated in texts preserved exclusively on Old Babylonian manuscripts? Can we use language and orthography for dating a text?

This course covers Elementary Sumerian.

The goal of this class is to provide an overview of various genres of economic and administrative texts from the Neo-Sumerian (or so-called "Ur III") period, ca. 2112–2004 BC, with the bulk of preserved textual material spanning from the latter part of Shulgi's reign to the early years of Ibbi-Sin (ca. 2064–2025). Emphasis will be made on the technical aspects of reading and interpreting individual documents (signs, vocabulary, format, etc.) as well as on the utilization of the documents to reconstruct a coherent and comprehensive picture of Sumerian government, society, and economy.

Elementary Sumerian II

In this class students will learn to produce line drawings of cuneiform texts first with pen and paper and then using newer technologies. We will study different styles and approaches to line drawings and focus first on the Neo-Sumerian then on the Old Babylonian epigraphy.

We will first read a selection of royal inscriptions mainly from the 1st Dynasty of Lagash. Then we read selected excerpts of the earliest literary texts. The goal of the class is to familiarize students with the sign forms, orthography, and grammatical particularities of Old Sumerian.

We will read different groups of Sumerian Legal Texts including the laws of Ur-Namma, court records, and legal documents. Students will learn how to read and interpret texts concerning family law (marriage, divorce, rules concerning widows, and adoptions) and slave law. We will also touch on capital delicts. While reading we practice Cuneiform signs and analyzing Sumerian grammar.

This course covers the second section of Elementary Sumerian.